In order to include persons with dementia in the MinD project actively, design probes were developed to provide insight into their perspectives. We applied probes due to their exploratory character and participation through self-documentation. The aim of this paper is to reflect on the design of the probes in relation to the outcomes as a source of inspiration for designers. More specifically, we investigate the openness and tangibility of the probes, and their content relating to the past, the current or the future. The five participants completed the probes to a large extent. The openness of assignments influenced their completion and the resulting value for empathizing and inspiration for designers: More defined assignments led to more sharing of personal and sensitive information than very open ones. While crafty, tangible assignments were filled in more extensively than less tangible ones, the classical writing assignments resulted more often in more introspective and reflective information from participants. Furthermore, participants filled in assignments about past memories more extensively than those relating to future goals.

This research investigates the potential of structural flexibility as a functional and affective design element as well as its potential applications. Our research bridges the areas of jewellery design, emotion design and structural development in the Additive Manufacture (AM) of metals. The article offers a theoretical review of the nature of flexible structures and of current deformable AM geometries and their applications. In relation to this, we conducted a series of practical experiments, which explored AM flexible geometries to create emotional expression. Both, existing examples and the outcomes of the experiments were evaluated against the soma-semiotic framework of emotional expression developed by Niedderer. The outcome and contribution of the research is a better understanding of structural geometries of flexibility and their potential uses, as well as of its affective potential.

This chapter focuses on the role of emotions in designing artifacts for mindful social interaction in the context of design as an agent for behavior change. The concept of mindfulness in design, also termed mindful design, refers to the attentiveness of the user toward the consequences of their actions performed with an object. An object which may specifically induce mindfulness of the social consequences of the user's actions is termed a performative object. Mindfulness can aid behavior change because it encourages reconsidering our actions and their causes, helping to adjust them to new situations. Using functional analysis, the research investigated the role of emotions in social interaction in relation to mindful choice. Existing and hypothetical situations and design examples are used to support the analysis. The research establishes a mindful–emotional framework, which provides robust guidance for the analysis of social situations/environments, and to facilitate designing performative objects for these situations. The benefit of the research is a better understanding of the design of performative objects and their application, and of their potential to contribute to behavior change.

This paper considers how both craft and research can be joined in the enterprise of craft research. The rationale is that craft research is still relatively new compared to mainstream design research and that craft, being linked to the creation of artefacts as a source of experience and emotion, is not usually associated with research and the production of knowledge. The paper discusses the emerging need for creative research in the crafts based on sensibilities of material understanding and human values, which contrast with the current strictures of research. Drawing on current models of design research and knowledge, the paper proposes experiential knowledge as the unifying conceptual underpinning of both. The outcome and contribution of the paper is a better understanding of the relationship of craft and research, and of the value of research for advancing craft as a discipline that is viable and relevant for the future.

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